"A common criticism is that the time is not yet ripe for our reform. Can time ever be ripe for any reform unless it is ripened by human determination? Did Wilberforce wait for the ripening of time before he commenced his fight against slavery? Did Edwin Chadwick, Lord Shaftesbury, and Charles Kingsley wait for such a non-existent moment before trying to convince the great dead weight of public opinion that clean water and bathrooms would be an improvement? If they had declared their intention to poison everybody the opposition they met could hardly have been greater. There is an obvious danger in leaving the fulfilment of our ideals to posterity, for posterity may not have our ideal. Evolution can be retrogressive as well as progressive, indeed there seems always to be a strong gravitation the wrong way unless existing standards are guarded and new visions honoured. For this reason we have formed our [Vegan] Group, the first of its kind, we believe, in this or any other country.~ Donald Watson (November, 1944)"

Friday, August 6, 2010

This episode it was a pleasure and a joy to feature Diane Ellis who was referred to me by James Peden from Harbingers of a New Age, creators of Vegecat and Vegedog. Diane is their spokesperson, and is among other things an expert on feline nutrition, who has successfully raised three cats (and two dogs - of course!) on diets free from animal products, which is a success story I wish we could hear more of.

She has very positive experiences and lots of great knowledge to share, for those who are interested in the issue, those who have tried to implement a dietary change for their felines (such as myself) and were not successful, or for those who are considering doing so now or in the future, in order for them to make an informed decision and hear positive and helpful information.

We talk about Diane's wonderful cats Tomato, Razzie and Coconut, and I hope to have photos and videos soon. We talk about how the Vegecat food was created, and how important it is to follow the recipes provided by Harbingers of a New Age, as they were specially formulated with the help of a veterinarian Andrew Knight. We mention the horrors of commercial pet food and talk about the fear that many vegans have that they will harm their feline refugees if they attempt to feed them anything but a meat based diet, and discuss why some cats have not thrived on other vegan diet foods.

You can contact Diane for advice and help through: leadwithyourheart@msn.com
The following websites were mentioned in the podcast and are the links to the information about commercial diets, and also to the website containing information about Vegecat vegan cat food from Harbingers of a New Age.

UPDATE:
Diane has asked me to post this update, because she wants people to be aware that although she loves the fact that people are interested and need advice, she does have to make a living, and cannot answer every single email! You can also go to her website to reference advice on this matter also: http://www.leadwithyourheart.net/Homemade_Vege_Meals.php where there is listed a limited time discounted price list for consultations in case you are able:
$75.00 per a 1 hour session for all pets and humans in the same household.
$45.00 per a 30 minute session per one household.
These reduced prices will expire on December 31st, 2010.

If you get some Vegecat remember that the creator of the product James Peden is very knowledgeable and helpful also, and their website has tons of FAQs.